Savior of the Damned

September 1st

“One of the elven seers contacted me,” Merethyl said. “They said hope is around the corner.”

“That doesn’t help much,” Eldren said.

“The elf who gave me the message says they think the ‘hope’ is at an abandoned carnival.”

“Only one place I know of that fits that description.”

“Oh?” Merethyl furrowed her brow.

“it got shut down at least a century ago. It’s what saved it. Not that much is salvageable at this point. I can’t imagine there would be anything useful there.”

Merethyl bit her lip. “If it’s the place I’m thinking of, the old proprietor was friends with the family that guarded the Magic ’stone.” She sighed. “I wish I knew for certain, though.”

Eldren perked up at that. “Maybe it is there.”

“Maybe.” Merethyl looked like she wanted to agree, but it was just out of reach. “Oh, I also got word on what’s located at that other Temple we found. They stashed the War ’stone there after it fell. We can go get the Magic ’stone, then pick up the War ’stone.”

Eldren wanted to hope for the two of them, if he could. She had helped him get this far. It was the least he could do. “Faster we get to the ’ship, the faster we can go get it.”

A small, tired smile graced her lips. “Yeah.”

Eldren started walking, and Merethyl fell into step beside him. It was so strange how they found each other, but he knew he could trust her. He just hoped Phae had someone like that, too. Everyone needed someone to lean on. The problem with Phae was how she let very few people in. She had forced herself into Eldren’s life, but most everyone else she kept walls between. She was pleasant and helpful and kind to everyone she interacted with, but she rarely let anyone in.

Elden and Merethyl reached the airdock, and Simone waved at them as the preparations were finishing up. It was Elena that walked up to them, though. Elena smoothed her shirt under the bandolier she wore, making Eldren pause. There was something dangerous about her, and it made him glad she was on their side.

“Simone wants me to go with you.”

“Oh?” Eldren looked at Merethyl.

“I was also informed she was to come with us. I was not told why.”

The older woman slapped her hands together and rubbed them vigorously. “You’ll see. You aren’t the only ones trying to save the world, after all.”

Eldren wanted the world to hurry up and save itself. “How long until we get there?”

“Three days, as long as we don’t get sidetracked.”

“Gives me time to work on the radio then,” he said, as he headed off toward the corner Simone had put it in.

***

The three days passed faster than Eldren expected they would. It was Merethyl who came to collect him when they were closer. Elena was waiting on the deck, bandolier loaded and a cutlass on her hip. She looked him up and down, nodding in apparent approval, and walked off the gangplank. Eldren followed, with Merethyl bringing up the rear.

Eldren had never been to the carnival, it having closed well before he was born. In its heyday, it had been a modern marvel, but looking around, those days were long past. The rides were rusty and swayed slightly in the stiff ocean breeze, making everything creak and groan. Someone had long ago boarded the booths up. Someone else had broken into some of them, ransacking the booths for stuff that wasn’t there anymore. It was a relic of days gone by, and he hoped that maybe, one day, it would come back in full swing.

Distantly, he heard boots crunching and voices. He and Merethyl ducked between two booths. “Someone’s here,” said a voice he recognized.

Merethyl held his arm, but he shook it off and drew his gun as he stepped out from between the two booths. Merethyl swore in Elvish as she joined him, leveling her own firearm at a shocked Phae.

“Eldren?” she asked, flanked by two of the Resurrected. She held up a hand, signaling something to the shorter of the two men. “He’s a friend,” she said, glancing at the bespectacled man on one side for a moment. “Right?” she asked, looking at him.

Eldren lowered his gun, his stomach somewhere around his feet. “Yeah, I’m a friend,” he said, holstering his gun. Merethyl said something under her breath in Elvish, causing the other man with Phae to twist his lips in a wry smile.

“What are you doing here?” Phae asked.

“Looking for you, I presume,” Eldren said.

“Guess elven intelligence came through,” said the tall, white-haired Elf with Phae and the other Resurrected. Everyone looked at him. “What? You can’t seriously believe I’d stand around doing nothing while you were skulking about. Up to gods know what?” He rolled his shoulders as he looked away.

“Color me surprised,” Phae said, holstering her spell cannon. “I didn’t think you had it in you,” she said, though the words held no sting Eldren could hear. She turned back to him, mouth curling up on one side as if she was almost happy to see him. “What do we do now?” she asked.

“We find somewhere safe to talk,” the bespectacled man said.

Eldren hopped back into the space between booths and kicked the door open. “How about in here?” he asked before ducking into the dim room.

“I guess we go first,” Phae said, as they trailed in after Eldren and Merethyl. “Torin, Luca, this is Eldren, my oldest, dearest friend.”

Eldren’s heart squeezed at the familiarity of it all. It was almost like old times.

“Merethyl,” his companion offered. “I didn’t think Aurelius really did take one of the princes, but I’d heard the rumors.”

Luca shuffled, clearly uncomfortable. “Got caught helping evacuate people.”

“What do we do?” Eldren asked. “Because I suspect it’s not as easy as just taking you with us.”

Phae’s brow furrowed. “No, it’s not. We’re bound to him, and we need a way to break that.”

“May I offer a suggestion?” said a lilt voice, causing everyone to draw a weapon. “I’m with Eldren,” she said. “Elena,” she offered, waiting for the weapons to be sheathed before continuing. “I’ve been working on some technology that helps cloak ’ships, and I think it might help block him from tracking you down,” she said, one hand resting on her cutlass. “Of course, that’s if you want to come with us. It’s not the stationary shields either. I’ve been working on midflight ones.”

Eldren watched as all three hesitated. “It’s not that easy,” Phae said. “There are others I have to get out as well. I can’t just leave them behind.”

Eldren expected that answer. If nothing else, there was her sister. He’d never gotten along with Demeter, but he didn’t wish her ill will. “You never could put yourself first,” he said. “It’s alright, Phae, I understand. Just tell me how to help.”

“I don’t know if masking our bonds will be enough,” Phae admitted. “Though it wouldn’t hurt things. What I need is to meet up with you somewhere else, after I’ve severed them.”

Merethyl nudged Eldren, looking at him with an expectant expression. It was perfect.

“That old Temple in the forest? You were there,” Eldren said. Phae nodded, and he drew in a shaky breath. “We can meet there. There is a ’stone there, we can gather it and take you with us.”

“That might just work.” She glanced at the others. “We need to find what’s here so you can take it with you.”

Both her companions blanched. “They gave me the location,” Merethyl said. “Make it look like you tore this place apart. We’ll escape with the ’stone, meet up at the abandoned Temple in a week.”

Eldren’s pulse thudded in his throat, causing him to cough. “Sounds good,” he said, looking at Merethyl and then Elena.

***

Eldren and Torin got to work smashing the carnival up. He pulled off boards and broke doors next to the quiet man that had shown up with Phae, the other man not too far away. “Never thought we’d be on the same side,” Eldren said as they paused.

Torin looked at him, freezing for a moment. “I was thinking the same thing.”

An especially loud boom sounded from where Elena was with the tall, quiet elf Phae had appeared with. Both Eldren and Torin looked over in the direction of the sound as smoke drifted up from one of the rides, swaying in the wind as it smoldered.

Phae popped up at his shoulder, startling him. She punched him lightly, though her grin was shallow and dull. “Don’t look so down. Let’s wreck the place a little more.”

Eldren found it almost cathartic to smash things up with her, though he felt a little bad. Mostly, he felt bad about having to leave her behind, but there was no helping it. They couldn’t rush this the way he wanted to. Though watching her work with Torin, how naturally they played off one another, he felt a sense of relief that she had found someone to be herself around.

Once it looked like it would pass muster, they all gathered around again. Phae passed the ’stone to Eldren, her hand shaking slightly. Eldren savored the touch, resisting the urge to grab her hand and take her with them. “I guess this is goodbye,” he said.

“Not forever,” she said. “Give us two weeks. One won’t be enough.” Phae’s devil may care smile gave him a boost of hope, that maybe they could pull this off.

“We should make it look like you found information on the other ’stone at the abandoned Temple,” Merethyl said.

“We’ll need that. Luckily, I have something.” Elena produced a coin with an image of a butterfly on one side and passed it to Phae. Phae looked down at it in shock.

“It’s an old Temple coin.” She looked at Elena. “Where did you get this?”

“Scavengers find the damnedest things,” she said. “One side has the symbol of War on it, so it should be enough of a hint to pass muster.” Elena adjusted her belt, resting one hand on it. “We’ll meet up soon. Camp out if we have to. But we’ll be there waiting to bring you home.”

Phae pocketed the coin. “Until then.”